THE all-conquering Central Coast Mariners are knocking on the door of a second successive Isuzu Ute A-League Men’s Grand Final . . . with only arch-rivals Sydney FC standing between them and the opportunity to go where no A-League club has ever gone before.
In a whirlwind past few weeks, the mighty Mariners have:
- Secured the A-Leagues Club Championship, with both the men’s and women’s teams excelling in 2023/24;
- Been crowned Isuzu Ute A-League Premiers after finishing on top of the premiership ladder after 27 rounds;
- Won the prestigious AFC Cup in Oman after a grueling schedule that has included more than 103,000km travel to eight different countries.
Now the Mariners are just one semi-final win away from qualifying for a second successive A-League Grand Final . . . giving the club the opportunity to win back-to-back A-League Championships and to become the first club ever to hold the three most celebrated titles in Australian football – A-League Premiers, A-League Champions and AFC Cup holders.
The first game of the two-leg A-League semi-Final against Sydney FC resulted in a 1-2 win to the Mariners at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium last Friday night.
Now the Mariners take a precious 1-goal advantage into the 2nd leg game and play in front of their home fans at polytec Stadium at Gosford this Saturday night . . . needing to either win or draw to go straight into the 2023/24 Isuzu Ute A-League Grand Final against the winner of the Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory Semi-Final.
Central Coast Mariners and Sydney FC fans are scrambling for tickets to the 2nd-leg Semi-Final at polytec Stadium. Remaining tickets are on sale through Ticketek only: Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC tickets | polytec Stadium | Ticketek Australia
Event Day Schedule
6:15pm: Gates Open
7:45pm: A-League Men’s Semi-Final (2nd leg): Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC
Ticketing
- Central Coast Mariners Members cards WILL NOT scan in. Tickets must be purchased for this event;
- polytec Stadium Members DO have this game included in their Membership package. Enquire about becoming an polytec Stadium Member here: https://polytecstadium.com.au/membership/
- Make sure you download the Ticketek app for easy access to your tickets;
- Share tickets with your group and have them downloaded and ready PRIOR TO ENTRY;
- Make sure your print-at-home tickets have all been printed and folded ready to scan prior to entry.
Semi-Final Scenarios
- Central Coast Mariners win 2nd leg Semi-Final on Saturday night = Mariners go straight into the Grand Final and host the championship decider at polytec Stadium, Gosford.
- Mariners and Sydney FC draw 2nd leg Semi-Final = Mariners straight into the Grand Final and host decider at polytec Stadium, Gosford.
- Sydney FC win 2nd leg Semi-Final by 1 goal after 90 minutes = Teams will play Extra Time and then go to Penalties to decide winner.
- Sydney FC win 2nd leg Semi-Final by 2 goals or more = Sydney FC go straight into the Grand Final and play either Wellington Phoenix or Melbourne Victory in either Wellington or Melbourne.
Getting To and From the Game
Fans are strongly encouraged to ARRIVE EARLY to avoid missing a moment of the action. Please leave additional time for the Stadium Entry Process.
With a capacity crowd on the way, the Stadium precinct and Gosford City will be busy.
Come out early and enjoy the pre-match atmosphere, then once gates open head to the western warm-up field where there will be fun family activities and food trucks!
If you intend to drive, please leave additional driving time and for parking.
Stadium Entry Points
Corporate Entry: Via Gate 2 East
IGS Members Entry: Via Gate 2 East
All Other Ticket Holders: Via the Gate on your ticket.
Stadium Conditions of Entry: https://polytecstadium.com.au/the-stadium/#conditionsofentry
To assist in the entry process please have all of your tickets downloaded and ready to scan BEFORE you approach the turnstiles or hand scanners.
We will have additional entry gates either side of main entry points with handheld scanners open for this event.
Traffic & Transport
Driving:
- From Sydney
- Head north on to the Sydney Newcastle Freeway for approximately 45kms (45mins approx);
- From Newcastle
- Head south on the Sydney Newcastle Freeway for approximately 50kms (45-50mins approx);
- From Gosford
- Take the Gosford/ Woy Woy Exit which will carry you onto the Central Coast Highway. Follow the Central Coast Highway down into Gosford. Stay on the main road: you will come to Brian McGowan Bridge – travel over this bridge, polytec Stadium is on your left.
Train:
Gosford Train Station is located just 300m from polytec Stadium with regular train services running to and from Sydney’s CBD, North Shore and Newcastle. For up-to-date train info including trackwork alerts check transportnsw.info
Trackwork– is scheduled between Gosford and Wyong- buses replace trains between these stations, click here for all details and for help planning your trip to Gosford for this event.
Parking
Several car parks are located within easy walking distance from polytec Stadium.
- Gosford City Car Park (P1) is approximately 100m away – Maximum $10
- Gosford Train Station (P2) is approximately 300m away – Access via Opal card in conjunction with any valid train journey;
- Central Coast Leagues Club provides free parking for Members (P3).
- Adcock Park provides Free event day parking
No parking locations exist in the immediate vicinity of polytec Stadium. Motorists are advised not to park on footpaths and nature strips to avoid being issued a fine. Park within designated parking areas only.
Getting Home
Taxi ranks can be located at:
- Central Coast Leagues Club
- Gosford Station – William Street, Gosford
Call 131 008 for bookings.
Food and Beverage
Take advantage of the day and get here early to enjoy the offerings at the Stadium, including additional Food Trucks and Pop-Up Bars on the Western Warm-Up field. that will be selling a number of delicious treats.
All of our standard food stands and bars will be open along our concourses for this event.
You are welcome to bring your own home packaged food into the venue- but strictly no takeaway style or commercial food (McDonalds, KFC etc.)
As a licensed venue, it is prohibited to bring alcohol or glass into the Stadium. All drinks must be unopened.
Merchandise
Central Coast Mariners merchandise will be available for sale in the following locations:
- Western ground floor- in marquee on Warm up field
- Northeast concourse corner behind Bay 20.
polytec Stadium Membership
Want to watch this game, and all events at the Stadium in style? Enquire about our Stadium Membership and all the benefits here: IGS Membership
Benefits include:
- Your very own centrally positioned reserved seat in the undercover upper level of the Western Grandstand (see seating map) for all events including all sport, entertainment and community events at polytec Stadium. Click here for list of events that memberships have access to.
- 10% discount on food and drink purchases within the Stadium at all events (show your current Membership card to receive your discount).
- Opportunities to purchase additional Member tickets for selected events (subject to availability for relevant events).
- polytec Stadium Member pack including a Member cap, lanyard and Membership card.
- polytec Stadium Members VIP express entry gate for all events.
- Invites to special events and experiences including an inner-sanctum behind-the-scenes guided tour of polytec Stadium.
Visiting The Central Coast? Accommodation Options
Visiting the Coast? Why not make a weekend of it. Check out where to stay and play here: https://www.lovecentralcoast.com/
Weather
The good news is the rain is clearing early this week and the Bureau is predicting a pleasant autumn weekend ahead!
The forecast in Gosford for Saturday’s Mariners v Sydney FC 2nd leg Semi-Final is:
Cloudy, high chance of showers.
It’s getting cool at nights so we recommend dressing for the conditions, especially as not all seats are undercover.
In the event of rain, please bring along a poncho or raincoat- with a capacity crowd moving seats will not be possible.
Enjoy the game!
Information on this page is correct at time of publishing but may be subject to change.